Device for controlling the flow of wells



April 12, 1932. 1. H. TUCKER DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING THE -FLOW OF WELLS Filed April 25, 1930 7h15 Alle: e115 Patented Apr. 12, 1932l UNITED sTATEs PATENT- 'o1-rles, f

JOHN TUCKER, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, ASSIGNOB TO GULF PRODUCTION Ol HOUSTON, TEXAS, A CORPORATION OF TEXAS nEvIcE non coN'rRoLLrNG THE now or WELLS Application led April 25,

This invention relates to improvements in well drilling apparatus, and, particularly to oil or gas from the well. During the drilling` operations' this is accomplished usually by keeping the well hole lled with fluid heavily ladene with mud or other weighty substances and the natural pressure existing in the well not being great enough to lift the heavy column of mud ladened water or other fluid, the flow of the gas or oil is naturally Vheld in i check or under control at a point below the surface of the earth. When thedrilling operations proper have been completed and preparations are being made for allowing the natural pressures existing in the well to raise the column of oil and gps to the surface, a string of pipe or what is nown as well casing is run into the well hole. The lower end of the casing is either perforated or provided with a perforated closure such as a strainer or screen in order that the oil and gas in the sand formations penetrated by the well hole may enter the casing and flow therethroughto the surface of the ground. After the string of casing has been set on the bottom of the hole it is then necessary to replace the heavily mud ladened water inthe hole with a lighter Huid, such as clear water. This operation is known in oil fields as washing the well and when the mud ladened iuid has been displaced by the water natural pressures eX- is'ting in the well are generally sufficiently great to raise the column of iiuid upwardly through the casing. In view of this there is, therefore, extreme danger that the well will et out of control during the time intervening between this so-called washing operation and the installation ofthe pro er manifolds in the upper end of thecasing or guiding or-A directing the flow from the well to the desired places of storage. It is these difficulties or rather this danger that the present invention 1930. Serial No. 447,242.

seeks to eliminate by means that may bel i described broadly as a device for packing the bottom of the well hole and controlling the flow of oil and gas from vthe well during the lapse of time between the initiation of the washing operation andthe installation of the necessary manifolds at Vthe'top of the well.

More specifically, the invention contemplates a combination packer and fluid control device embodying a main control valve that will normally be closed by natural pressures existing within the oil and gas prodcing'formations but which may be opened b the pressure thereon of the mud ladene iluid, or

which may be opened at will'by a mechanical glement constituting a portion of the present evlce.'

The'invention also seeks to provide what Y might be termed an auxiliary valve or achoke vfor reducing the iow` of oil and as that may pass through the main valve tioned.

fore menv A still further object ofthe invention is to i provide means for releasing and removing the entire device from the well whereby the cas'- ing will be fully opened, a condition that ispermissible and highly desirable when the natural pressures eXistin in the well have been reduced to a point w ere it is no longer necessary to use means for controlling the flow of oil and gas.

With these and otherobjects in view the invention consists in certain details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts all as will hereinafter be more fully described and the novel features thereof particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings trate the preferred` embodimentpf the present invention,

. Figure 1 is an elevational view of the entire control device, the well casing being shown in sections;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the device and casing;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-`3 of Fig. 1, and A the line 4-4 of which illusl In the form of apparatus shown in the ac-4 companying drawings there is what will, for conveniencebe termed a tubular supporting member whose exterior is provided with' lefthand .screw threads 11 near ione end thereof andyscrewed on this portion'of thesupport is a tapered mandrel 12 and lock nuts' 13, 13e.

The function of the nuts 13, 13 isto retain on the support a .seriesof cup supporting rings 14 and cups 15. .Adjacent this portion of its exterior, said support is also provided with righthand screw threads `16, by means of which there is attached to they support a slip.v

or gripping element 17 adapted to cooperate with 'the mandrel 12 as will .hereinafter be more fully described. Also, attached to the support by-these threads 16 are lock nuts or collars 18, 1815, between which there are retained cup supporting ring 19 and cups 20.

Threaded on the end of support 10 beyond lock nut 18 is one section 21' of a valve cage,

Y free to move toward and from its seat 25 upon the applicationl of pressure to either of its faces.

With a device as thus far described the flow of oil andgas from a well may-bel held totally in check. For instance, before the casing is lowered in the ground the device described may be installed therein at a point located above that point at which the oil and gas enter said casing when it is set on the bottom of the well hole.. The device is secured in the section of casing by inserting it therein by rotating support 10 in a direction that will cause theslip17 to move downwardly over mandrel 12 until the slip takes a firm grip on the inner surface of the casing. This manipulation. of the slip not only secures the device in the casing but, as will be appreciated, the packing rings and cups 19, 20 above the slip and the rings and cups 14, 15

below the mandrel 12 will elfectually pack or seal the casi-ng and prevent the passage of oil and gas therebetween. Likewise, when the clear water is forced down through the casing to wash the well the pressure of such water on theupper surface of valve 24 will unseat the same so thatv the excessive ressure of clear water will not only wash t e mud ladened water out of the hole but will also prevent the flow of oil and gas from the well; When the pressure of the clear water on valve 24 is relieved so that the natural pressures within the well predominate, valve 24, of course, will be immediately seated and completely check the flow of oil and gas from `sures existing in the well.

the well through the casing. By thus havin the flow of oil and gas heldin full chec ample time may be had' for installing the necessary connections at the upper end of the casing for thetransportation of the oil and gas to the desired places of storage.

After these connections,such as the usual manifolds and the like are made at the surface a swedge 26 attached to the lower end of a string oftubi-ng 27 is lowered in the casing and depending from said swedge is a slip socket 28 and a plunger or valve stem 29, the stem or` plunger 29 protruding beyond the lower end of the socket 28 a distance sufficient 'to permit it to project through the central bore in valve cage section 22 and enga e and displace valve 24from its seat 2 5. y thus unseating the valve 24 and maintaining it opened with the plunger 29 it will be apparent that the full force of the natural pressures within the well may be utilized to the utmost in forcing oil and gas upwardly through the tubing and casing. Often times it is, however, desirable to partially holdin check or choke the .flow of oil and gas that will take placevby reason of the excessive pres-y For this reason plunger 29 is suspended from swedge 26 by having its upper end threaded in a chokedevice 30 which, inturn, is screwed into the interior of swedge 26. This choke device 30 is shown in section in Fig. 3 and consists of an annular member having a series of' open' ings or ports 31 therein, these openings being of any desired cross-sectional area and, if

preferred, of different sizes as shown iny Fig.4

4. It is also intended that choke members 30 differing from one another in that the openings 31-in one choke member may be larger or smaller than the openings in other choke members, may be usedy interchangeably in a device. As will be apparent the swedge, slip socket and plunger may be' withdrawn at any time to permit one choke 'device to be substituted for another as the withdrawal of this portion of the device from the casing will permit valve 24 to close immediately under the influence of the pressure then existing in the well, it being understood that the entire device is not to be removed from the well until after the natural pressures in the well have dropped to a point where theywill no longer automatically close the valve 24.

After the well has been flowed long enough for the natural pressuresto drop to a point where valve 24 will not be forced to close, the entire device may be removed from the casing b y withdrawing the' swedge 26, plunger 29 and socket 28 and placing within said socket a slip 34. This assembly is then lowered into the casing and after slip 34 engages around extension 23v or valve cage section 22, upward tension on slip socket 28 will cause a binding ofrthe socket and slip on said extension 23.

IDL

i Under these conditions rotation of the device in a direction opposite to that in which it was rotated to secure it in the casing will cause mandrel 12 to be screwed downwardly with respect to slip `17 as the latter will be locked against movement by its frictional engageinent with the wall of the casing. This relative movement of slip 17 and mandrel 12 will release the entire device so that the lll ` at times when slip 34 is not used, said cage extension 22 isformed on its exterior with 'a shoulder 32, said shoulder constituting a seat for packing ymaterial 33 againstwhich the lower end of slip socket 28 may rest.

What I claim is:

' 1. A combination packer and fluid control device comprising'a tubular supporting member, gripping meanson said member for securing `the same in a well casing, packing elements .on said member adapted to form a seal between the member and said casing, 'a valve cage carried by said member, a. valve seat on said cage, a valve in said cage movable against its seat by upward pressure beneath said Vvalve andmeans associated with said valve and operable from without the well for positively holding said valve unseated in opposition to" upward-flow through said tubular member tending to seat said valve.

2. A combination packer and fluid control l Y device comprising a tubular supporting memcage carried by against its seat `pressures for holding said valve positively controlling the amount of l device therein, said ber, gripping means on said member for securing the same in a well casing, packing elements on said member adapted to form a seal between the member and said casing, a valve said member, a valve seat on a valve in said cage movable by upward pressure beneath said valve', and means engageable with said valve and operable independently of well unseated and flow said cage, and

past said valve seat.

' 3. A combination packer and Huid control device comprising a tubular supporting member, cooperating gripping elementscarried by said supporting member for engaging the interior of a well casing to secure the gripping elements being rendered operative upon rotation of their support in one direction and inoperative upon rotation thereof in the opposite direction, means for sealing they space between said member-and casing, a valve cage on said member, a valve seat, a valve' in said cage movable against said seat by upward pressure beneath said valve to close the opening I in the tubular support, and means associated vdevice comprisin lbeneath said valve -said support in a well casin with said valve lvand adjustable from without said. well for positively contro the ow past said valve seat mdependent y of pressure tending to move saidvalve to seat.

4, A combination packer and fluid control device comprising a tubular support, means for securing the support in a well casing, means for sealing the space between the support and casing, a valve cage on said support, a tubular extension on said cage, a valve seat on said extension, a valve in said cage movable against said seat by upward prsure beneath said valve, and means insertable in said tubular extension for unseating said valve.

. 5. A combination packer and fluid control a tubular support, means for securing sai suplport 'in a well casing, means for sealing t e space between said support and casing, a valve cage on said support, an extension on said cage, a valve seat on said extension, avalve in said cage movable against said seat by upward pressure and means engageable with said valve and operable independently of well pressures for holding said valve unseated and positively controlling liow past saidvalve seat, said extension having a central bore therein through which said last mentioned. means extends to engage said valve.

6. A combination packer and fluid control device comprising a support having a central bore, means for securing said sup- .port in a well casing, means for sealing the space between said support and casing, a valve seat carried by said support, a valve movable against said seat by upward pressure beneath said valve to prevent the iiow of fluid, through said support, means for unseating said valve, and means adapted to be positioned in the casing abovevsaid valve or reducing the flow of fluid through the support when said valve is'lopened.

7. A combination packer and iuid control devicel comprisin a support having a central bore, means orsecuring said su port in a well casing, means for sealing t e space between said support and casing, a valve seat carried by said support, a valve movable against said seat by upward pressure beneath said valve to prevent the iow of fluid through said support, means adapted to be positioned in the casing above said valve for reducing the iiow of fluid upward lythrough the support when saidvalve is unseated, and a plunger carried by the last mentioned means for engaging and unseating said valve.

8. A combination packer and iuid control device comprising a supportvhaving a central bore, means for securing and sealing a valve seaton said support, a valve mova le against said seat by upward pressure vbeneath said valve downward pressure above said valve when in from the casing.

excess of the upward pressure beneath said valve, and meansengageable with said valve for retaining the same unseated in the ab' sence of superior downward pressure, and means adapted to be positioned in the casing above saidQvalve for reducing'the flow of uid past said valve when the latter is engaged andunseated by said last mentioned means.

10. A combination packer and fluid control device comprising a tubular' su port, means for securingand sealing saidp support in a well casing, a valve cage on said support, a tubular extension on said cage, a valve in said cage movable against its seat by upward pressure beneath said valve, and movable from its seat by downward pressure above said valve when in excess of the upward pressure beneath the valve, means for unseatmg said valve in the absence of superior downward pressure, and means enga eable with said extension for removing t e same, together with said support and cage,

JOHN H. TUoImR. 

